Newbie Corner Feedback-Reefkeeping 101

[Paul B]

and i would really like to know what you guys think about adding purple up to your tank also b-ionic calcium buffer system component #1 alkalinity and component #2 calcium.

No, save your money on the purple up, you don't need it and neither does your corals.
But you do need to add some type of calcium.

You will find multitudes of additives that are supposed to do all sorts of things but basically you need calcium, nothing else.
Just my opinion but that is all I add and my tank is rather old and running nicely.

[Gobby]

Hello all,
Its been a while since I have been on the forum. We're in the process of helping some high school students setup some reef tanks. The articles from Waterkeeper are always a big help. Can someone tell me why the article links on the first page of this thread are not working?

Gobby

[Sugar Magnolia]

Originally Posted by Gobby

Hello all,
Its been a while since I have been on the forum. We're in the process of helping some high school students setup some reef tanks. The articles from Waterkeeper are always a big help. Can someone tell me why the article links on the first page of this thread are not working?

Gobby

There is a problem with the Reefkeeping magazine right now so the links won't work until that issue is resolved. The admins are working to fix the problem. Sorry for the inconvenience.

[Aquatankstud]

Hey there, ran into a problem today need someones advice! I started a 30 gal tank a lil over 2 weeks ago....i got more live rock today to add in to help it cycle....problem is, one of the rocks i got has a lil tiny baby coral on it....is this going to throw off or mess up my tank cycle? if it dies what will happen to the cycle?? please help anyone thanks

[Paul B]

No, it is not going to do anything, don't worry about it.
Paul

[Zswift]

My friend is selling me his 55 gallon tank for 130. He has to move a lot, and wanting to sell it. Right now all he has in it is some live sand, a small chunk of live rock He also has s clown fish, and a tomato clown fish.The only downside is, he has brown algae all in the sand, and i can also see it on the piping for the filter inside the thank. What are some helpful tips to move the tank, and fish? He lives only about two miles from me, so it is not a really long drive to move the tank.

[chrispmcgill]

thanks for the info!

[capn_hylinur]

Originally Posted by Zswift

My friend is selling me his 55 gallon tank for 130. He has to move a lot, and wanting to sell it. Right now all he has in it is some live sand, a small chunk of live rock He also has s clown fish, and a tomato clown fish.The only downside is, he has brown algae all in the sand, and i can also see it on the piping for the filter inside the thank. What are some helpful tips to move the tank, and fish? He lives only about two miles from me, so it is not a really long drive to move the tank.

Put half of the water in buckets
Place the rock and fish in one of the buckets
Drain the tank and get rid of the sand except for one cup of it

At the new place
rinse some new sand and place it in the tank, seed it with the cup of old live sand
add the old water and then top up with new salt water
add back the clown fish and live rock
each week or with each purchase add 10 lbs of new live rock until you have 50 lbs in there

[Alaska_Phil]

You don't have to throw out the old sand, you can rinse it out in a bucket with a hose and re-use it. just keep rinsing it till the water comes up clear. Then seed as Capn described. I've done this a couple times now when I've moved tanks without a problem.

Phil

[devonian]

I'm new and looking forward to firing up a reef tank, but with only fresh water experience.

I read about sumps and see this list;

"...calcium reactor, a denitrifier, a phosphate-removing reactor, a place for filtration media such as GAC (granulated activated carbon), a Kalkwasser reactor, various probes to measure common water values and an automated top-off system (float or switch). Wow, that's a lot of stuff! "

While window shopping, I see leather corals, candy cane corals, mandarins, a tang, brains, gorgonians, wrasses, some little crabs, a red and white sponge, and clams that I like.

Is there a list anywhere of which of these pieces of equipment are good for which of the animals I like? How do I know what to get for a first tank?

[Reefer_Madnes]

Adding to favorites..Thanks alot

[dylan_]

anybody know about yellow film on live rock


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[dylan_]

yellow shiny film growing on live rock


Posted from ReefCentral.com App for Android

[Mikealike]

Hey guys, sorry i diddnt know where else to post this but is this normal or does it look like its dying?

[cmantis]

Great resource here thanks.

[Paul B]

They do that all the time, mine is doing that now.

[cmosv]

what type of polyp this is? I just recently setup a tank and it was on the LR. Made it through the cycle. Well, has thus far. Be kind... supernoob

[fredanthony]

Originally Posted by WaterKeeper

Alright, already save the bellyaching for your Mama! It appears some of you crybabies miss your security blanket--the Old Newbie Corner Feedback Thread. "Well", I said, "ain't that too darn Bad!" However, with Reefkeeping Magazine now back I guess we can have a new thread for you whinnying Newbies.



For those of you new to Reef Central, I'm Waterkeeper and I'm glad you have located our board. I'm sort of the drill instructor for Newbies and have written so many threads or articles that I have worn out about a dozen computer keyboards. For those of you that are old timers and just like to hang around this forum-Get a life.

Anyway, each month Reefkeeping Magazine has an article in what we call the-



In these articles we try to give the neophyte pointers on how to start out in this exciting hobby. I wrote most of the original articles but, thank goodness, we now have several new authors to provide insight into the fundamentals of a marine reef tank.

This month we have Nate Enders writing about The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Newbies and for September Paul Whitby will be talking about pests- like Newbi...I mean aiptasia.

Feel free to post any questions you have on the monthly article in this thread and, as I learned from the past thread, just about any question your feeble Newbie mind can conjure up.

If you have ideas for an article please let us know and we will try (usually not very hard) to come up with an article on that topic.

Here are the articles to date
Water
Tank Selection
Lighting
Sumps
Completing The Set-up
Natural Filtration I
Natural Filtration II
Natural Filtration III
Various Nutrient Control Methods
Adding Some Science to Your Tank, Part 1
Adding Some Science to Your Tank, Part 2
Let's Fatten Them Up!
Bogus Information
The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Newbies
Pests, Parasites and Things That Go Munch in the Night, Part 1


Ok, Ok, stop shuffling aimlessly about. We'll have more good poop for you next month. Fall-out!

Awesome info here.. thanks!

[capn_hylinur]

Originally Posted by cmosv

what type of polyp this is? I just recently setup a tank and it was on the LR. Made it through the cycle. Well, has thus far. Be kind... supernoob

That is aptasia. Aka glass anemone.get rid of it before they overtake your tank

[capn_hylinur]

Originally Posted by Mikealike

Hey guys, sorry i diddnt know where else to post this but is this normal or does it look like its dying?

I find leathers do this more often if the temp of the tank gets close to 84

[kubbard]

Hi all I'm new here and wanted to get your thoughts. Current tank is a 240 with a 67 gallon sump. It took a lot longer to get the stand made than thought so I placed all my live rock and sand in a 170 gallon insulated tote for about a 6 weeks. Treated it with ammonia for the 6 weeks (every time the ammonia levels would drop I would add more). We set up the tank 10 days ago added the live rock and sand and new water. Ammonia has been between 0 and .25. Added some damsels a week in and still nothing. Here's the question did I retard the cycle or will it still cycle?

[capn_hylinur]

Originally Posted by kubbard

Hi all I'm new here and wanted to get your thoughts. Current tank is a 240 with a 67 gallon sump. It took a lot longer to get the stand made than thought so I placed all my live rock and sand in a 170 gallon insulated tote for about a 6 weeks. Treated it with ammonia for the 6 weeks (every time the ammonia levels would drop I would add more). We set up the tank 10 days ago added the live rock and sand and new water. Ammonia has been between 0 and .25. Added some damsels a week in and still nothing. Here's the question did I retard the cycle or will it still cycle?

First of all I would remove the fish since you are exposing it to great stress with ammonia present
You did not need to add ammonia in the past. There would have been enough die off on the rock to cycle the bacteria.
I would remove the fish and let the rock cycle the ammonia itself. It will probably take longer now as the rock has absorbed ammonia and nitrates from the way you tried to cycle it in the tote

[OceanBeauTy]

I can't get these links to open any idea why? Thank you

[OceanBeauTy]

Originally Posted by fredanthony

Awesome info here.. thanks!

I can't get these links to open any help?

[capn_hylinur]

What links are you referring to